2012 Mariners MLB Draft: Seattle picks & draft overview

Okay kids, it’s that time of year again!

With last years misery supposed to help on draft day, Mariners fans have enjoyed their team drafting high in past years.

Not that it has helped as of yet with the big league club, it is still fun to look at these kids and wonder how they will look in a Mariners uniform.

This year, the M’s own the third overall pick on the board. Unlike the NBA, and NFL drafts, most of these kids taken will never see the lights of an MLB ballpark.

Sure there is the fluke of the last player taken making it to the show, but more often than not, injuries, overcrowded systems, and trades will prevent some of the guys in this years draft from ever playing with your Mariners.

Especially the way that Jack Z likes to deal prospects!

Here is the rundown:

#1: 1st round, 3rd overall. Mike Zunino. C, University of Florida

As the overall offensive leader for the Florida Gators, Mike Zunino was also named the SEC Player of the Year for his sophmore season. Zunino has pop, hits the gaps, and hits for average.

The Mariners have never had a catcher with all three offensive threats behind the plate for them.

Jesus Monterohas the power, but lacks overall catcher strengths to be our everyday catcher for the future, so this pick I believe is going to be a very valuable pick for the future of the Seattle Mariners.

Joe Decarlo is ranked number 57 on Baseball America’s Top 100 High School Players list, so this is a steal for the M’s in the second round. Decarlo has signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Georgia, so it is unknown as of yet if he will honor that, or come to the system with the Mariners.

ESPN has him listed as the #9 corner infielder on their High School prospect list. With his ability to cover the left side of the infield, he will be a coveted asset for the Mariners going forward.

Decarlo has said that if the deal the M’s apply isn’t good enough for his standards, he has a wonderful fallback option. Don’t expect to see him in the farm system, I think he will opt to go to Georgia.

#3: 3rd round, 98th overall. Edwin Diaz. P, Puerto Rico

With this pick, the Mariners signed a tall and lanky kid out of high school, who has velocity in the 90’s and needs some work on the reliability of his breaking pitches.

Unlike Decarlo, expect Diaz to report to Mariners camp. Foreign born players usually always sign with their big league clubs, as it is an out from their home country.

Though not a regular thing, Diaz has been clocked at 97 mph. Maybe if they can add some meat to his tiny little frame, it could become more of a routine speed for him.

The compensation pick was from the M’s not signing Kevin Cron last year.

Pike went 10-1 with a 0.89, and 123 K’s as a junior. Like Decarlo, Pike also has signed a letter of intent to play college ball, but with Florida State.

Too bad the baseball draft didn’t work like the hockey draft does, if these players do not sign with the club that drafts them, their names get put back in the draft next season. If they don’t sign after their freshman year, they have to wait until their junior year to get another shot at the draft.

#5: 4th round, 131st overall. Patrick Kivlehan. 3B, Rutgers

A two sport star, Kivlehan was the Big East player of the year his senior season. He played four years for the Scarlet Knights, before coming back over to the baseball side.

With a .410 batting average, Kivlehan won the triple crown in the Big East. He added 10 HR’s and 36 RBI’s to finish off his competition.

#6: 5th round, 161st overall. Chris Taylor. SS, Virginia

Taylor is know more for his glove than his bat, so this keeps with the M’s tradition of defense first short stops. The good news on him is, the M’s have had two years of recruiting him, since they were keen on him him when scouting former teammate Danny Hultzen last year.

Another first baseman selected, but Halamandaris has already committed to Cal. A three sport star, Halamandaris has good power which is expected out of a left handed first baseman in today’s game. He was all county the last two years as well.

Another player we will probably lose to the collegiate game.

#10: 9th round. Jamodrick McGruder. 2B, Texas Tech

McGruder was an All Big-12 first team selection, as well as a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy. He also was the first player in the history of Texas Tech to lead the team in triples and stolen bases three consecutive years.

So we have an abundance of speed coming to us in this pick. Something that will help down the road when the magnificent Ichiro is no longer with us.